Poolside Protector
by chartreuseian
Summary: It's a hot summer day by the pool and Henry's getting a little hot-headed after some less than appropriate comments.


**I know I should be working on other things but I was listening to Bliss n Eso's 'Family Affair' when this little oneshot popped into my head. It works on a few weird levels :P **

**Hope y'all enjoy my first attempt at Henry and Ash :)**

**xx**

* * *

"Hey, look at that one."

"Where?"

"Over there, the blonde with the tits."

"Where?"

"Black bikini."

There was a pause.

"Where?"

The man jabbed his friend in the ribs and gestured to the woman in question.

"Niiice," the jock to Henry's right drawled to his buddy. The two men chuckled and sniggered and Henry gritted his teeth. He was used to the comments, he really was but that didn't mean they didn't make his head practically throb in frustration.

"Look at that ass," one of the men said, dropping his sunglasses as his mate smirked.

"Oh she'd so put out."

He tightened his grip around the can of soda in his hand and tried to breathe normally.

"C'mon baby, turn for us, turn!" one of the idiots drawled.

He tried to pin his anger on the summer sun that was beating down on them or even the overpowering scent of chlorine but it was no use. This fury had one cause and it was not being dragged to the local pool against his will.

"Lotion," dunderhead number one said appreciatively and dunderhead number two sniggered.

"Hey, I think I can see nipple!"

"Oh shit! Yeah!"

"She's so up for it."

"Yeah."

They were harmless, Henry reminded himself. Just dickheads with not enough to do with their day. Harmless. Perfectly harmless.

"Reckon she'd go down to the pool house with you?"

"Yeah but not with you."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No," one man snorted. "I'd rock her goddamned world and she knows it. Look, she keeps stealing glances over here."

"She's lookin' at me."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"No way, she's totally hankering for this." He punctuated the sentence by grasping his crotch and raising his eyebrows suggestively at his friend.

Henry barely held back a snarl.

The second douche of a man snorted.

"Please. We all know the girls come to me when they're after some real meat. And you can tell she likes it rough. What would a weedy little thing like you be able to do about that?"

"I'd bend her over that bench down in the pool house and r- HEY!"

The can of soda Henry had thrown over the two men made very little mess unfortunately but it did serve to stop him from having to hear exactly what they planned on doing.

"Dude! Not cool! What the hell was that for?"

"She's just a kid," he snarled, crushing the can in one fist as he stood, body trembling with anger. He knew it was dangerous, they'd only just managed to find the correct dosage of medication to keep the transformations at bay and Magnus had warned him several times that the does would have to be increased as time went by and the dominant yet still dormant DNA fought for prominence but right now he didn't care about making a scene.

"With an ass like that?" one of the men said, snorting. "She's all woman."

"Shut up."

"Or what?" the second said as both stood. Henry was roughly the same height as them and what he lacked in bulging muscle he knew he could make up for in slightly abnormal ways.

"Don't test me," he ground out, fists clenching.

One of the men grinned and turned.

"Hey babe!" he called, waving. It took a second for the blonde to realise that they were gesturing to her but she quickly straightened, cocking her head in askance.

"Show us ya-."

He didn't even see Henry's right hook coming and fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Henry!" Ashley cried in alarm, whipping off her sunglasses as she hurried over.

"She's my sister!" he spat at the man on the ground, cradling his jaw. "She's 17 you... you... you perverts!"

The man still standing glowered at Henry and raised a fist but Ashley slid between them smoothly.

"Get lost you tool," she said scornfully, cocking a hip and Henry knew she was rolling her eyes too.

"It's cool," he said, backing away. "I'll leave you to your _brother._" He finished the sentence by making an obscene gesture in front of his pants and Henry lunged, trying to get around Ash's small frame.

"Hey!" she cried in alarm, pushing against his chest to hold him back. "Hey calm _down_. Your eyes." She hissed the last word, alarm flashing through her own eyes in warning.

He bit back a snarl and worked to reign in his anger. The two men were walking away, laughing at the way Ashley had made him heel so easily but he ignored it.

"What the hell was that all about?" she asked, shifting back to look up at him with a look her mother had given him several times.

He almost whined, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Can we just get out of here?" he whispered, not meeting her eye.

She sighed but nodded, trotting off to collect her possessions. He watched her carefully as she went, making sure that the two surly idiots came nowhere near her.

She glared when she caught his gaze but he didn't back down, grabbing his own towel before stalking over to her. He caught her elbow just as she grabbed her towel and dragged her towards the exit regardless of the scene they were making. He knew his grip would probably leave a mark but it wasn't until they were standing beside his beat up old car that he let go.

"Geez Henry! Overreacting much!"

He didn't speak, just fumbling for his keys.

"They were just a pair of testosterone fuelled idiots. I could have dealt with them without your help."

"Just... just put some clothes on, wouldya?" he mumbled over his shoulder.

"My shirt is back in the complex," she snapped. "The complex you just dragged me from bodily. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?"

Jamming the newly found keys back in his pocket he turned, contemplating the chances of getting back in there without getting caught by either the security he knew would soon be on the lookout for him or the idiots who would be looking for a rematch.

Sighing he began unbuttoning his own shirt, tossing it at Ashley's shocked expression. She only just managed to catch it and he turned to once again open the doors.

"It's a good thing I left my phone in your car," she said by way of scolding and he risked a glance to watch as she buttoned the shirt. "Otherwise I might have had to kill you."

"Don't be so melodramatic," he grumbled. "I could have just made you another."

"I liked this modeeee... Hel-lo?" she trailed off, smirking at his chest. "What's this?" She reached forward and flicked the metal bar running through his nipple with a naughty grin.

He flinched back, shoulder hunching as he batted away her hands.

"Mister Goody-Two-Shoes goes off to college and comes back with piercings?"

She chuckled.

"When did you turn into such a bad boy, Henry?"

"Oh shut up," he mumbled, dashing around the car to jump into the driver's seat.

"Does Mom know?" she asked, sliding into the other seat with what was becoming a very irritating smirk.

"...no," he admitted.

"She will soon," Ashley retorted, plucking at the shirt she now wore.

At that _he_ smirked.

"Nah-uh. Emergency clothes at the front gate," he told her, tapping the side of his nose.

"What?" she cried. "How come you never told me about them before?"

"Because someone made me promise not to make it even easier for you to 'sneak out'." The air quotes made her face pale and he started the car with a chuckle.

"She's Helen Magnus dude," he said as they pulled out of the car space. "She knows everything. All the time. And about three seconds before it actually happens."

They drove in silence for a few minutes, only the low hum of the radio reverberating around the stuff car.

It wasn't until they pulled in beside Henry's secret clothing pillar that Ashley spoke again, turning in her seat and smiling softly at him.

"Thanks," she said softly. "I... I'm glad you stood up for me. No one's ever done that before."

Henry blushed but tried to return the smile.

"Any time Ash," he said equally as softly. "You're my sister."

She smiled.

"Same to you. Bro." She punched his arm with a grin and he scowled.

"You hit like..."

"Say a girl and I'll hit you again."

"I was going to say like your Mom."

She hit him again.

"It's a compliment!"

"No it's not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too!"

"And to think I was going to offer to defend your honour in a fist fight."

"My honour?"

"Yeah, or maybe I'll beat up any girl who breaks your heart instead."

"You're crazy."

"So is anyone who'd hurt you."

"Naw, Ash! You pretend to be all tough but deep down you're such a softie."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Sure..."

"I'm not!"

"Keep telling yourself that..."

"I hate you."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Sure..."


End file.
